porshhhh951

Pay more in the begining to pay less in the end is a good way to go. But, make sure to get a proper PPI done on any used porsche you may seriously be considering for purchase. NEVER take the sellers word for it and just because the paint and the interior look great with low miles doesn't mean you won't have major issues. Get a proper PPI done at a proper porsche dealer or mechanic.

As far as everything else go's. Nothing is bullet proof but, if you do the proper maintance you shouldn't have any problems.

Oh and as far as replacing the turbo if it go's bad. I hope that was a small joke. If the stock turbo go's buy a new technology unit to replace it with. Even if you plan on running really low or even stock boost level's. Lindsey and vitesse both have small stock replacement turbo's that use new wheels/bearings/and generally speaking with technology of anysort...newer is better period.

I've owned my current turbo for 4 years now and its been a fun time.

TazioNYC

Very stupid quesiton..but what's a PPI?

MichelleJD

PrePurchaseInspection.

Turbo is a bit laggy, but go test drive one and you'll buy it.

5speed300

Never had a problem with lag on the track Instant tq.

Jake951

If your budget is $10k-$14k, you should be able to get a nice '88 Turbo S or '89 Turbo, both of which have the K26/8 turbo. Totally stock, it is quite laggy and is probably slightly slower than a stock WRX STI. However, a few relatively simple mods will transform it into a totally different animal. For a few hundred bucks, a simple chip upgrade will add around 50 hp and should put you in the ballpark of 250-270 rwhp (with the K26/8). For about 2 grand, an MAF setup (hint: Vitesse Racing) should get you close to 300 rwhp on pump gas. With the MAF you'll get major boost by 3000 rpm and it will be a screamer above that. Also, keep in mind these are relatively light cars (~3000 lbs) compared to many contemporary cars, so the hp/weight ratio can compare quite favorably to modern performance vehicles.

TazioNYC

Eveything I've seen has been 86/87 so far. Not a lot of 88/89s out there, it seems.

5speed300

I'm also 6'6 and fit perfectly fine into my car. I even fit with a track helmet!

jeeper31

There are a lot of 88 S's and 89s but you have to travel unfortunatley. When I bought my 88S from ohio i was considering others in Florida, Georgie, Texas and Ariizona. Fortunately the one in Ohio was the easiest to get.

Mighty Shilling

yeah, it does take a while for that turbo to spool, generally about 3000-3500K rpm, but after it's spooled, the revvs climb so friggin fast it's insane. very hard to describe. go drive one. you'll see...

TazioNYC

Ok, update on this thread. I've seen 2, and driven them both.

Car A: Listed by a dealer, bought at a Manheim auction. Low mileage 1986 Turbo. Zero maintenance records/manual. No wheel locks, alarm not working, A/C blows hot air and rear wiper motor makes a scary sound. To drive the car straight, wheel must be cocked left, so out of alignment. However, clutch and gearbox feel good and everything else seems to work. Car started up nicely, everything original, no accidents.

Car B: Very, very low mileage 1988, kept idle in a garage for past 10 years with only maintenance driving and not serviced in that time, air bag warning light flashes, start up is not as good as Car A, gearbox is a little mushy, clutch engagement point is very very high compared to car A. A/C is decent, not great. Also looks original, no accidents, but generally looks less well cared for than car A and really hasn't been used for some time.

Any thoughts? Neither are particularly close to me, so I'm trying to choose which one to move forward with a PPI for.

Mighty Shilling

Pass on both. there are better examples out there IMHO.

here's what scares me:
1) no records- immediate timing belt/water pump attention needed. if you can't turn a wrench, $1200.00 right there.
2)need those damn little clips for the HVAC to get the a/c normal (nice and cheap though).
3)alignments on these cars could be more than bargained for. for a 4-wheel alignment, I was quoted $600.00 by one shop... then took it to the dealer for a 4-wheel for $150.00... (the shop was trying to screw me, obviously).
4) clutch feeling good- that's actually a good thing...

1)start up not as quick, may or may not be bad... with either of mine, they'll crank a bit, or fire right up, it all depends on the car's mood. may be fixed from fuel injector cleaner.
2)airbag light... Hmmmmmmmmm... could be a bitch or expensive to fix. flashing probably isn't good...
3) mushy gearbox. could be a gear shift lever ($45.00) or could indicate that the car has been abused.
4) clutch engagement point- clutch maybe needed soon ($1200.00 at least).
5) decent but not great a/c, welcome to the Porsche world
6) looks less well cared for- it probably is.

of the 2, I'd go for the first, but based on the deal I got on mine, I wouldn't touch either of em.

Keep looking. I got my 1988 Turbo S, 62,000 miles on it, silver rose, EVERYTHING worked for $11,000.00

TazioNYC

Oh, and the other thing was the idle felt a little harsher on car B.

TazioNYC

Thanks for the advice. I can definitely not turn a wrench, so I'm looking for a decent example. My guess on car A, just a guess, is that it seems like a well-maintained example. Of course, point taken that you want to change the timing belt/pump just to be sure. If I have a PPI, will the mechanic be able to estimate the time of last change, etc...?

These are hard to find, at least in the Nottheast.

Mighty Shilling

as for the timing belt change, it's difficult to estimate when it was last done w/o pulling the belt off and playing with it (inspecting for small cracks, etc.) and if it's out, the water pump can be inspected by checking for any play in the shaft, seeing if it has any grinding, etc. and while you're in there, might as well toss on new belts and rollers, and depending on what's leaking, new front engine seals.

Tazio, always consider cars out of your area. when looking for Porsches, transporting them isn't as expensive as you'd think. I had my dead 924S shipped from Topeka to Denver for $400.00...

Mighty Shilling

Tazio, thinking about it, if I were to choose between the 2, I'd probably look closer at car A. it does have less issues, shows less signs of abuse/neglect, and even without records, seems like it's in better condition... since you're looking, PPI that one.